The Philippine General Minerals Project Inc. (PGMPI) has announced it is ready to undertake mining operations for the sustainable extraction of critical minerals and rare earth elements, after almost three years of research and development in the rehabilitation of mining areas.
PGMPI, in news statement, said it “is thrilled to announce its successful and highly productive meetings with key government officials following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s pronouncement during the 42nd Asean Summit on May 10, 2023, in Indonesia that the Philippines will be a producer of critical metals and minerals, and not just an exporter of iron ore.”
“As industrialized nations grapple for control of the supply and demand of critical minerals and resources necessary for space and defense technology, the EV industry, nuclear power, and telecommunications, President Marcos’ announcement is certainly well timed. The Philippines sits on vast natural resources, and more than 3,000 mining operations in the country have left millions of tons of waste materials which, incidentally, PGMPI’s R&D, as well as other companies around the world, have confirmed to contain many of these heavily contested materials,” the PGMPI statement added.
Founded by Lt. General Antonio G. Parlade Jr., former Southern Luzon Commander, along with a group of close associates, PGMPI initially conducted extensive research to delve into the dynamics of the trade war between the US and China, particularly regarding rare earth materials and precious metals.
The research, the statement added, “unearthed” a wealth of information on the presence of these critical minerals in waste tailings, both on the surface and underground, as well as millions of tons of ore being shipped out of the country, many of them finding their way in the reclamation activities in the West Philippine Sea.
With clear guidance from the then National Security Adviser Secretary Hermogenes C. Esperon Jr., and former Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, PGMPI “meticulously explored” methods of harnessing these minerals without causing further harm to the environment.
Supported by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, PGMPI research involved onshore and underwater surveillance of black sand materials in Cagayan and Albay, ores and tailings from Kalinga to Tawi-Tawi, and even from disaster-ridden mining sites such as Marcopper in Marinduque and Apex Mining in Davao de Oro, where vast quantities of tailings remain stagnant in artificial lakes and ponds, and continue to pose potential risks to low-lying villages and necessitates attention from the Office of Civil Defense and the Department of National Defense.
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